During an ATX fest panel today, Parenthood exec producer David Hudgins summed up a discussion of “socially impactful” TV in three crucial elements: “authenticity, truth, and point of view…As long as you’re telling the truth,” he said, “then that’s the battle.”

The panel was called “Power(ful) TV: A Look at Socially Impactful Television,” and Hudgins shared the stage with Sweet/Vicious creator Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, Dear White People creator Justin Simien, and One Day At A Time producer Gloria Calderon Kellett.

Simien - Truth - Story - Responsibility - Artist

For Simien, telling the truth through story represents his “greatest responsibility as an artist.”

“Black folks,” he said, “are often the side characters or the novelty characters. They are not the character you really go home with and learn their internal struggles. By me telling the truth in the show about the layers, the ugliness and the beautifulness of what goes on in the black experience, it paints us as...